The fight against tax crime and money laundering March 31, 2020 | Sponsored There is no such thing as a victimless crime. The devastation financial crime causes is real and often affects some of our country’s poorest and most vulnerable communities. Tax crime costs the UK economy tens of billions of pounds every year. In order to prevent this, HMRC works closely with UK law enforcement agencies and [...]
Simple advice on avoiding financial scams March 31, 2020 | Sponsored With the consequences of a scam often going well beyond pure financial losses, it is essential that every colleague in your business knows how to spot the signs. Businesses have always been highly attractive targets for fraudsters. Why? Money and data – both the company’s and that of their customers and supply chain partners. That [...]
Criminals exploit technology so why can’t law enforcement? March 31, 2020 | Sponsored According to Helena Wood at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), the UK has been “sleepwalking” through the growth of economic crime, to a point where it is a systemic national security risk. But there is technology to take the fight to criminals. Fraud accounts for one in three of all allegations of crime and [...]
Criminals arrested in crackdown on courier fraud March 31, 2020 | Sponsored A national police operation targeting criminals who commit courier fraud has resulted in over 40 arrests. Police coordinator for economic crime warns women over 80 are most likely to fall victim. Police forces across the country have been cracking down on criminals who commit courier fraud, with a combination of awareness raising and enforcement activity [...]
Fraudsters will “exploit any weakness” to commit financial crime March 31, 2020 | Sponsored Scammers will use every opportunity to commit insurance fraud, from taking advantage of the panic around COVID-19 to exploiting opportunities presented by digital technologies. In times of crisis, there’s usually an upturn in fraud and financial crime. That’s just a historical fact. It happened in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crash, and Chris Andrew [...]
Do you know the many forms of money laundering? March 31, 2020 | Sponsored In financial circles there is much discussion around money laundering, but the forms which money laundering can take are very rarely explained. So, what is money laundering? It’s the process of making illegally gained money, often known as dirty money, appear to be legal. Money laundering usually involves three steps; surreptitiously getting the illegitimate money [...]
M&G’s flagship bond fund faces £100m daily outflows March 30, 2020 M&G’s flagship bond has become the latest casualty of the coronavirus-induced market sell-off, as investors pull £100m a day from the fund. Investors have pulled £2.5bn from M&G Optimal Income since mid-February, according to the Financial Times, as the coronavirus outbreak pushed investors towards the safety of cash. M&G, which is run by Richard Woolnough, [...]
Put tax at the heart of digital transformation decisions March 30, 2020 | Sponsored Tax runs through the heart of every business process and so must be central to discussions around moving to a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) in the cloud. Q) What has been the impact on tax of digital transformation and companies moving to the cloud-based ERP systems? A) It’s providing the perfect opportunity to ensure [...]
Tax needs to keep pace with global developments March 30, 2020 | Sponsored Designing a modern-day tax system takes co-ordination on a global scale, with many players all having a part. The business of tax faces challenges in the 21st century: its role as a force for good, and the way tax systems are designed and implemented Adapt to survive In a fast-changing world, tax systems have to [...]
Coronavirus dividend cuts produce £4.4bn hit to investor portfolios March 27, 2020 With more UK firms announcing coronavirus-fuelled dividend cuts this week, the total loss of investor income so far this year is now £4.4bn. The pace of dividend cuts is accelerating as coronavirus wreaks havoc on world economies. In March 116 companies have suspended their dividends totalling £4.2bn, according to investment fund AJ Bell. That compares [...]
